Ballad of Fallen Angels
by CrisisExceed
Summary: Two fallen angels. One wolf one lion. Both caught in the darkness of their past. Now they must face the darkness in order to find what they long had forgotten.
1. The Wolf and the Lion

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned

Ballad of Fallen Angels

Chapter 1

The Wolf and the Lion

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Two fallen angels. One in the form of a lone wolf and the other in the form of a sleeping lion. Both dwell in the darkness of their past. The wolf though finding his light and defeating his darkness still refuses to open up, and the lion hides from his darkness by going under a new name. Though their paths are different they will soon cross and send them on a new journey of understanding and pry their hearts open to the light. Not only will they learn of their surroundings they will learn more about each other. The lone wolf's name is Cloud Strife and the sleeping lion's name is Squall Leonhart; he currently goes under the name of Leon.

"Ow!" cried the brunette as he was jumped on by a lively black haired girl. His stormy blue-gray eyes shot a glare at the girl who had barged into his room and jumped on him. "Have you ever heard of personal space?"

The black haired girl giggled and tightened her headband then proceeded to poke the older man in the cheek. "Aerith sent me. She said if you slept any longer you'd miss breakfast. Not to mention there's a special surprise waiting for you downstairs," she explained still poking his cheek.

The brunette growled and slapped her hand away. "Yuffie…if I got one munny for every time you annoyed me, I'd be seriously rich."

Yuffie giggled again and slapped him on the top of his head. "Bad lion, don't growl at me."

"Get out!" shouted Leon. He shouted so loud the four people downstairs heard it and busted out in a fit of laughter. For one of these people it was the first time he had laughed in a long while.

"Damn that girl," said Leon running his hand through his silky hair. From his drawer he pulled a fresh pair of boxers and a white shirt. From his closet he pulled a bomber jacket with short sleeves and a fur collar and a pair of black leather pants. Leon proceeded into the bathroom and got undressed out of his sleeping clothes, which consisted of a pair of black shorts and a grey tank top, and turned on the shower. He stepped in and let the warm water run down his hair and down his finely toned muscular body.

After washing his hair and body thoroughly he turned off the shower and just let the water run down his body, on to the shower floor, and down the drain. The brunette took a towel hanging from the towel rack by the shower and dried himself. Being dry he dressed himself and walked back his bedroom throwing the clothes he was wearing into a clothes hamper by his closet. Lastly, Leon threw on a pair of socks and shoes as well as three belts he wore around his hip bone area. He picked up hi gunblade sitting in the corner of the room and strapped it to his waist. He put his necklace, Griever, and proceeded down stairs.

Leon made it down stairs and into the dining room. The first thing he saw was a similar spiky haired blonde. "I hardly find anything special about you, Strife." He said leaning against the arch that separated the living room and the dining room with his arms crossed.

"Oh, you're funny Leonhart," Cloud sniped back.

Yuffie perked her head up from behind the blonde. "So Squall are you going to sit and eat or what?"

Leon shot another glare at Yuffie. She knew why he glared at her that time. The black haired girl squeaked and hid behind Cloud.

Tifa walked into the room from the kitchen carrying a large plate of pancakes. "About time," she told Leon. "Just in time too. Breakfast is ready." She placed the plate on the table and sat down watching Aerith place the same sized plate on the table with various Breakfast meats on it.

"Alright! My stomach's been growling," said a youthful spiky haired brunette. He sat in between Tifa and Aerith.

Yuffie sat across from Sora, the other lively youth, and next to Cloud. "I wonder what's more vicious…your stomach or our pet lion in the kitchen."

"Keep talking Yuffie, and I'll show you what this lion can do," shouted Leon from the kitchen. He walked in there after Yuffie hid behind Cloud. He was currently grabbing himself a cup of coffee. He watched Cloud walk into the kitchen. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Just a refill," replied the blonde setting his mug next to Leon's. He watched as the brunette poured the warm liquid into his mug. "Also, I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

"You're not Cloud," joked Leon. He knew the blonde wasn't much for small talk. He wondered what brought the sudden change. It made the brunette keep his distance.

"Oh, real funny, Leonhart," said Cloud again noticing that Leon was keeping his distance. But Leon was right, Cloud was different. It was almost as if he was relaxed. He asked again, "So how are you been?"

Leon smiled. This new enlightened Cloud was a lot more enjoyable then the emo one he knew. "Well…" he started. "I wouldn't be sore if Yuffie didn't jump on me this morning. But I guess I've been good. It's been a burden off my shoulders since the town's restoration." Leon mixed sugar and cream into his coffee and took a sip. He placed his mug back on the counter. "What about you?"

Cloud stretched his arms out. He was really relaxed. "I've never been better. Sephiroth is gone."

"I see. So that's what brought this sudden change. You weren't much for small talk," responded the brunette taking another sip of his coffee.

"Cloud! Leon!" shouted Sora from the dining room.

The two men looked at each other and picked up their mugs and walked back into the dining room. They sat on opposite sides of Yuffie. The ninja squealed to have two handsome men sitting next to her. Cid and Merlin sat on both ends of the table and with that everyone dug in. As they ate Sora, Tifa, and Aerith started their own conversation as Cloud spoke to Cid. Even Yuffie spoke to Merlin but the sleeping lion remained silent. He had preferred just to eat.

It's been only a couple months since Sora and Riku defeated Xemnas. With the nobody problem over they were able to restore the town. Sora, Riku, and Kairi visited often and even considered moving to the beautiful place. This time it was just Sora who visited with a claim that Riku and Kairi were busy.

After Breakfast Sora helped Tifa and Aerith do the dishes. Everyone else did what ever they felt like doing at the time. Yuffie decided to stay with Merlin and Cid while Cloud and Leon decided to wander the town. Cloud walked around the newly refurbished Marketplace as Leon proceeded to the Postern. It was there he was greeted by three small floating girls. The brunette looked at the three girls and then turned in the other direction making it obvious he didn't want to speak to them.

"I have no treasure," he said hoping the girls would go away.

The silver haired 'something-or-other' with black wings, Paine, spoke up. "We're not after treasure. We just wanted to tell you we saw a silver haired man. He said he wanted to see you."

Leon's eyes widened after hearing Paine. "A silver-haired man?" he asked to confirm what Paine said. "Did he have a long sword?"

The leader of the three, a brown haired girl, named Yuna. "Well we're not sure. He wasn't holding anything when we spoke to him. But he does want to meet with you, Leon."

The gunblade-weilder unhooked his weapon from his belt. "Why didn't you tell Cloud first?"

Rikku, the blonde girl and the youngest of the three, giggled. "Cloud is scary. Sephiroth's in the Dark Depths if you want to see him." With that said the three girls disappeared to tell Cloud of the recent news.

Leon clenched his fist and gripped his gunblade. He ran in the opposite direction of where he was headed and to the dark depths, running by the Restoration Site, Bailey, Ravine Trail, and Great Maw in the process. He stopped when he finally saw the silver haired man known as Sephiroth. But Leon was a bit confused at first. He was…different. Sephiroth's appearance unusual for even the brunette to comprehend. There wasn't a black wing to be found and he was wearing the coat that the former organization wore. His skin was pale and his sword was no where to be found. There was no doubt that this man was Sephiroth; his soulless green eyes said everything. But this wasn't the Sephiroth that had used to torment Cloud all the time. Was this Cloud's doing? Sephiroth stared at Leon and the brunette stared back.

"How have you been, Squall?" asked Sephiroth.

Leon flinched a bit. Not only did was he called by his real name but that was the question that Cloud had asked him earlier that morning. The gunblade-weilder stepped back but saw that the pale man had made no movement towards him. The brunette was confused by this "new" Sephiroth. Did Cloud do this to him? It was a question that had repeated over and over in Leon's mind.

Eyes that resembled emeralds just continued to stare into stormy ones. Finally Leon lowered his gunblade seeing no hostility in the man in front of him. They had said nothing for a few moments until Sephiroth broke the silence.

"Tell Sora…I have Riku and Kairi." He walked past a stiff Leon. The brunette flinched as Sephiroth's silver hair brushed against his forearm. He completely walked past Leon even knowing that the brunette had gripped his weapon once more.

Leon turned around quickly to finally say something but Sephiroth was gone…like he was never even there. He had wondered what Sephiroth could possibly have against Sora. No, he wouldn't tell the youth. He knew that Sora had done so much already and didn't need to do more. There was so much people owed him. But Leon did know he would have to tell Cloud. The image of the pale man was burned into his head. Just thinking about it sent chills down Leon's spine. The brunette strapped his weapon to his belt and started for the Ravine Trail once more but then noticed an approaching figure and stopped. The man who had approached was none other than, Cloud.

Cloud didn't look to happy. Leon guessed it was because of the news of Sephiroth showing up in town again. He thought maybe telling Cloud that the silver-haired man wasn't really a threat would lighten him up. But he'd hold that comment off for now since he did say that he had Sora's two best friends captive. "Where's Sephiroth?" asked the blonde breaking Leon out of his train of thought.

"Gone," answered Leon. "Where he went though is beyond me. He was different though. Sephiroth looked broken and defeated. He had said only one thing before he left."

"What did he say?" asked Cloud calmly. He was surprised that the blonde wasn't getting angry or any other emotion of the sort. Leon didn't expect for Cloud to react that well.

Leon was lost in thought once more before finally snapping out of it. "All he said was that he had Riku and Kairi."

"Don't tell Sora," responded Cloud still remaining calm.

"I was thinking the same thing. He needs to relax for a bit and take a breather."

"But I'm still going after him."

"We don't even know where he went," explained the brunette.

"Who said anything about "we"? Sephiroth is my—"

Leon had cut the blonde off in mid sentence. "Will you just stop?" asked Leon raising his voice a bit. "You've got friends, Strife. Not only that you've got friends who can help you. So don't even try and pull that lone wolf attitude with me."

"And who do you expect to help me…you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I owe Sora. Also, I'd like to know why that silver haired psycho decided to tell me first."

More footsteps were heard stopping the two men in their conversation. Both men turned in the direction of the approaching footsteps. They found themselves looking at a small figure. He had large round ears and a tail. It was none other than the king himself. Both men thought his presence was a little too convenient considering the situation currently. But on the other hand, they were glad he was here. Cloud and Leon were hoping that the king might be able to answer the questions they had. But with out them asking or even opening their mouths to speak he was already answering their question.

"I told Cid to have a ship ready for the two of you. Sephiroth resides in a place different from our own called "The Nightmare Realm". He is currently recovering his lost powers that faded away from him after Cloud defeated him. Travel from world to world and try and find the gate to that different realm. The keyblade should be able to open you knew pathways." Both men were about to speak again when King Mickey continued what he was saying. "And yes…I want both of you to go. So you better get used to each other." He was the king and he'd have no buts. If they didn't want to team together it was tough luck for both of them because now the king had ordered them both to go.

The two men watched the king leave and then looked at each other. Instantly they looked away from each other. Together they started heading back to the Bailey. In silence they traveled past the Great Maw, and up the Ravine Trail. They were still a bit surprised that the king had just ordered them to work together.

Though their body postures showed resistance deep within their minds they though that having the other for a partner might not be so bad. After all they were both pretty strong. They had always demonstrated that in their sparring matches. But there was still something on their minds. The king said that the keyblade should be able to open new pathways. There was just on problem…nether man wielded a keyblade.

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This is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic. Please be nice. Blazing Wolf Rock Howard


	2. Silence

Ballad of Fallen Angels

Chapter 2

Silence

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Still in silence the two men walked. Even when they walked back to Merlin's house they remained silent. Silence…it was a common thing that both men shared deep within their personalities. Both men hardly ever talked and then they did speak it was usually brief and about a serious topic. Occasionally they'd make a joking remark or correct someone in something. But for the most part they were silent. What were they trying to keep inside? It was a question that was on everyone's mind when looking at either man. But still they didn't let it bother them since they knew that both men were still friends despite the lack of conversation they provided. In some parts Cloud and Leon were mysteries to everyone else.

The two men just lied on couches across from each other. Leon picked up a book that was sitting on the coffee table in between the two couches. The brunette opened the book and started reading like nothing had happened. Cloud on the other hand just lied there staring up at the ceiling. He knew what was happening but refused to share his thoughts about the whole thing. Silence…was the sate they decided to remain in. The king watched the two and sighed.

The young ninja girl, Yuffie, was a bit confused. She came to a conclusion that both men were more silent than usual. In fact they were so unusually silent that she was a bit afraid of them. She wasn't even tempted to dive onto either man and annoy them like she loved to do. That's what she usually did to get what was on their mind out of them. The female youth looked at the clock. It was almost lunch time. She looked back at the two silent men.

Aerith smiled looking at the two men. "Hungry?" she asked still smiling.

Both men sat up looking at her. Somehow she had the power to get their attentions. Some thought it was her pretty face that got them; others thought it was her calm and sweet voice. No one really knew what it was she had over the two swordsmen. But even this time she couldn't get them to talk. Cloud and Leon just shook their head and lied back down. Aerith frowned a bit.

Cloud finally got up and walked up stairs. After a few moments the sound of the shower being turned on was heard. Leon finally sat up against and closed his book. He noticed that everyone was staring at him. He got up and walked outside and sat down on the steps.

Yuffie growled. "Those two are impossible!" she shouted.

Aerith's frown turned back into a smile. "Don't worry Yuffie. They're just trying to figure out a way to say something nice to each other."

The king had picked up where Aerith left off. "Though Leon and Cloud are the best candidates for the Sephiroth problem they still have to figure out how to work together."

Yuffie looked at the door as if she was looking at Leon. "He's so stubborn. Why can't he just accept the fact that Cloud is his partner?" she asked to no one in particular. "I mean they're so alike it's kind of scary just to think about it. Cloud and Leon both have similar pasts. But the one difference in their pasts is for the fact that Leon's never dealt with Sephiroth before."

The sound of the shower being turned off distracted everyone. Cloud walked into his room and got dressed. He walked back downstairs dressed differently. He was still wearing the same shoes but was wearing dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt. His sapphire eyes examined everyone that who was staring at him. He said nothing and just sat back down on the couch. He was thinking again. But this time he was thinking about something different. While he was in the shower he had realized that he had no problem working with Leon. He was afraid that the older man would have a problem working with him. Cloud looked over at Aerith.

The woman in pink smiled back. "Ok…I'll go and get lunch ready." Once more it was almost as if she could read Cloud's mind. Aerith walked into the kitchen and started to fix up lunch with the assistance of Tifa. From where she left everyone they could hear her humming a soothing tune.

Leon finally walked back inside. He stared at Cloud as the blonde stared back. Once more a silent conversation was shared between both men. But by the way they stared at each other it was obvious that they were finally on the same page. Both men finally couldn't contain themselves and started laughing. Cid, Merlin, Yuffie, and Sora watched them with bewilderment. They laughed for a few minutes before finally calming down. Both men looked at the arch that led to the kitchen seeing Aerith standing there holding a plate with sandwiches.

Aerith was smiling to finally se that both men were finally out of their shells and laughing. "Lunch is ready." She said getting everyone attention. Cloud and Leon smiled back seeing her. There was just something about her that grasped both men by a leash. She placed the plate on the coffee table and sat down on the couch across from Cloud. The pink clad woman grabbed a sandwich and bit into it. She giggled after swallowing the piece she bit off. Aerith seemed happy that both men were staring at her. "You're not my type." She said trying to get Cloud and Leon to snap out of their trance. Also, they really weren't her type. She saw them more as brothers than anything else.

Cloud and Leon's head snapped away from looking at her when she spoke up. It was another common thing they shared. Aerith…they'd do anything to protect her, for reasons they didn't even understand. She was pretty much the only reason why both men could stand being in the same room.

Leon walked up stairs and into his room. He changed into a pair of black jeans leaving the belts off but kept the same white shirt on. The brunette left his gunblade to sit in the corner. Leon walked back down stairs and back to the living room where he had let everyone. He sat down next to Aerith but kept his distance. He stared at Cloud again while the blonde man stared back. Silence was shared once more.

Both men looked at each other until one finally spoke. The blonde man stood and walked up to Leon. With hesitation he stuck out his hand as a peace offering to the older man. "Tomorrow Leon…tomorrow we leave."

Leon looked at Cloud's hand and then at the younger man with a smirk. He grasped Cloud's hand with his and shook it accepting the peace offering. "Okay Cloud…then tomorrow we leave."

Yuffie squealed in happiness. She put an arm around each waist of both men. "We should celebrate your new partnership."

"I'll pass," responded both men in unison.

Yuffie pouted and puffed her cheeks up like a little kid. "You guys are no fun!"

Cloud and Leon walked back out the door. It was more so to be away from the others. Though they were now partners they were still the type to avoid others. They both made their away to the Bailey where they'd look out at the vast plain. The Great Maw was slowly regaining its beauty. The 'Garden' part in Radiant Garden was returning. It was a breath taking sight to behold and both men thought they could stare at it forever. But they knew they couldn't. The king had given them both a mission of perusing Sephiroth and they weren't about to defy the king now. Silence…they shared but it was obvious that they were thinking the same thing.

The brunette sighed with a sigh from the blonde following soon after. Cloud and Leon both didn't want to go.

"To stop Sephiroth is our mission." Leon finally spoke up.

"Of course. We can't let anything stop us from our duty. Even so would we be going if the hadn't ordered us?" asked Cloud. It was something that was on his mind for a while now.

"There's no doubt about it that we'd be going. Do just expect we let that silver-haired psycho run rampant and have Kairi and Riku captive?"

"I guess you have a point. Do you think Sephiroth will come after Sora?"

"Highly doubt it," answered Leon again. "Everyone would see it coming."

"But still what bothers me is that Sephiroth has nothing against Sora. He's my—"

"Our darkness now Cloud," interrupted the brunette. "You may not want to admit it but we're friends now…no more of this 'I' or 'me'."

Cloud chuckled. He actually agreed with the other man. "Fine…Sephiroth is **our **darkness," he said putting emphasis in his correction. "It just doesn't add up."

"We'll figure it out." Once more both men looked at the slowly growing garden. It was a sight they could smile at. The smile turned into a chuckle then a full laugh. They finally agreed that they were partners and friends. Now that that was cleared up they could finally start their journey.

For the rest of the day until sunset both men wandered around the Radiant Garden getting to know each other and sharing child hood stories. Actually they had found out that they knew each other when they were younger but it had been years and they didn't recognize each other because of the maturity. Leon was now taller than Cloud, and Cloud had experience over Squall. Both men figured when they decided to rid themselves of certain memories the memories they had of each other was ejected along side with those. But now they were good friends had were catching up. Sunset they decided to go back to Merlin's house. They walked in laughing at something that Leon had said.

Yuffie stared at the two men in surprise. They were laughing! None the less they were laughing _together_. Yuffie wanted to faint but her consciousness refrained her from wanting to see the sight of the older men more. "So…Cloud, Leon…" she started. "I'm going to take it there's going to be no arguing on the trip?"

The brunette man looked at Yuffie and smiled. "Maybe…but most likely we're going to be arguing on where we want to go next."

The ninja girl stared back at Leon confused. It wasn't quite the answer she expected. "So then why were you laughing?"

"Oh, just catching up on childhood memories," answered Cloud smiling.

Aerith walked into the room from the dining room. She smiled to see the two men smiling. Earlier in the day they were sitting there just being silent and not talking. But she figured whatever was inside of them bottled up was gone and released now. She walked up to them and stood very close. She couldn't help but giggle at their redness. The pink clad woman kept her smile and gave a kiss on the cheeks of both men; she had to lift herself a little higher to reach Leon's face. After completely embarrassing both men she went over and stood in the arch between the living room and the dining room looking at everyone. Over her shoulder she looked at Merlin who was using his magic to set the table. "Dinner is ready." She said and walked into the dining room. Aerith was followed by Sora, Yuffie, and Cid leaving the two men standing where they were.

Cloud and Leon slowly turned to each other slowly. In silence they stared at each other watching their blushes die down. "Did that just happen?" they asked each other in unison. Once more the blonde and the brunette shared a laugh and calmed. Together they walked into the dining room sitting on opposite sides of Yuffie.

Cid and everyone else heard the laughter from the living room. But he was the only one to say something about it. "You two are crazier than I thought," he commented. With all words said everyone ate.

After dinner everyone decided to lounge about for the rest of the day. Everyone was dressed in their sleeping clothes, pajamas, and night gowns; only Aerith wore these. Leon lied down on the couch wearing a different pair of black shorts and a white tank top with still his necklace around his neck, and reading a book. He and Cloud were the only ones that occupied the living room. Cloud lied on the opposite couch wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt. Sitting in front of Leon on the coffee table were three empty beer bottles and a half-full one and in front of Cloud were four empty bottles and an almost empty fifth one. Silence once more was shared between the two men. The silence turned into a fatigue, and fatigue turned into sleep. Nine empty beer bottles sat on the coffee table.

The next morning both men were ready to go. They went to each of their rooms and got dressed into their normal wear strapping their weapons to them. Everyone took notice that every time they looked each other a smile was shared. It was obvious that in once night they went from being friends to best friends. Yeah…this was something that made everyone happy. After gathering supplies they said good bye to everyone with a promise that they'd return soon.

Both men stepped into the gummi ship and took off away from the world and to another.

"Well where's our first stop?" asked Cloud as he piloted the ship.

"I was thinking Halloween Town since Sora goes on and on about it."

"But wasn't because of Donald's magic they were able to disguise themselves?"

"Leave it to me. While we restored the town I had Aerith teach me some magic. Just get us there and leave the rest to me," finished Leon.

Cloud rolled his eyes and took the ship towards Halloween Town where they're first search would begin.

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So how will Cloud and Leon's adventure in Halloween Town will go? Keep reading to find out. Blazing Wolf Rock Howard


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